Quiet Acts of Obedience (Part 2)
Over the summer, I read the book Risen Motherhood by Emily Jensen & Laura Wifler with my mom’s study group. While reading reminders of God’s truths, the following sentence on page 37 stood out, “All our quiet acts of obedience will be seen, rewarded, and praised for the glory of God.” What hope this is that the silent choices we make on the daily to honor God are not lost or forgotten.
In part one of this series, we looked at how the God who created us is omnipresent and omniscient, allowing Him to be everywhere and know everything at all times. In part two of this series, we will further examine how God will reward those who are obedient to Him, giving us hope for both today and for the future.
Part 2: All our quiet acts of obedience will be rewarded.
Rewards seem to be everywhere in life. If you purchase from your favorite coffee shop enough, you can earn a free coffee. If your child completes their chore chart, they can receive a special prize. Nearly everywhere you look, we have opportunities to receive something based on our choices. Some of these rewards seem valuable, others seem trivial.
Before we dive into some of our Biblical rewards, we need to make one thing clear. The most important choice that we will ever have is to accept and receive the free gift of salvation. This gift is only made possible by having a belief in Jesus Christ; we don’t need to do anything to “earn” salvation. When we choose to acknowledge that we are sinners in need of a Savior, recognize Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, and rejoice in His victory over death, we experience a heart change.
This heart change allows us to be in a relationship once again with the God who created us. When we choose to follow Him, we desire to make choices that honor Him instead of ourselves or the world. Our actions then reflect our heart change and belief in Christ, resulting in the Holy Spirit being at work with us to share His goodness with others. This faith in Christ not only gives us hope for one day spending a perfect eternity with our Creator, but an opportunity for today to experience the joy, peace, and love that comes from only knowing Him.
Now that we're on the same page that we cannot earn salvation through our works, let’s look at what the Bible says about rewards. Throughout God’s Word, it is mentioned that we have opportunities to earn rewards for our choices, reiterating that there are consequences for our choices. Every day we are faced with options – options that allow us to reflect God’s love and grace to our children and spouse or options to demonstrate the depths of our sinful flesh and selfish desires. As God is omnipresent and omniscient, He knows exactly what we choose every time we make a choice.
Although society tells us to “live your truth” and “you do you,” the Bible tells us otherwise.
In Matthew 16:27, we see that we will need to own up to all our choices. “For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.” Later in 2 Corinthians 5:10, we see this same concept again, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.”
While appearing before Jesus and reflecting on all our life choices can seem a little intimidating (and may cause a few convicting gut checks), it also offers hope. Throughout the Bible, God shares that He will reward those who honor Him. Honoring God can be difficult, especially when our teen or spouse has hit our last nerve. Or when our toddler just will not cooperate. But we can remember that out of response to knowing and loving Jesus, the God-honoring choices that we make are always recognized and seen by our almighty God. These choices are not only seen but will be rewarded.
The Bible shares about the crowns that can be earned by those who are obedient to Him. Crowns such as the Crown of Righteousness, the Crown of Life, and the Crown of Glory are rewarded to those who honor the Lord. In Paul’s second letter to Timothy, a reminder of what is yet to come can be found in chapter four verses seven through eight, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”
Meanwhile, James 1:12 offers encouragement for those who are facing trials and tribulations. “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.” The book of 1 Peter also offers encouragement for the future. 1 Peter 5:2-4 reminds us of the task we have been given as Christ's followers and the reward that will follow, “Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.”
It is easy to forget God’s promises as we are tempted by our sinful desires of the flesh, especially when we are in the middle of a hard season. But Matthew 6:19-21 offers a reminder for us to not get caught in the ways of this temporary world, but instead to keep our mind focused on the joys of eternal heaven. “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
The next and final part of this series will look at how our quiet acts of obedience will be praised for the glory of God. Until then, here is your reminder, dear child of God, to keep the faith. Keep making those God-honoring choices even in the quiet moments; they are neither forgotten nor ignored and will be rewarded by the Creator.
